Meet Taegan A. McMahon

Career Specialties: Taegan McMahon's interest in both applied and fundamental ecology is reflected in her research. She studies both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors that affect community structure and species interactions, with an emphasis on aquatic communities and host-pathogen interactions. She also studies the impacts of the pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) its hosts (amphibians, crayfish, etc).

Professional and Community Activities: McMahon is following two research pathways, both relating to the parasitic chytrid fungus and its hosts. She is investigating the non-amphibian hosts of the chytrid fungus (e.g. Crayfish (McMahon et al. 2013 PNAS), and is also researching possible vaccination regimes for frogs and chytrid. She was able to demonstrate that frogs could develop an acquired resistance to the chytrid fungus given previous exposures to dead chytrid (McMahon, et al 2014 Nature). This means the potential to vaccinate frogs against the fungus.